Drafts

As a former briard owner I can attest to their loving and caring nature. They are kind animals who typically are friendly and gentle, yet are protective of their owners in the face of danger. My dog Dusty was a beautiful dog, an amazing animal whose long hair gave him a goofy lovability that any person, dog person or not, could appreciate. 

With a new retrovirus devastating the current dog population it is important to save a breed that will carry on the legacy of dogs honorably in the future. I have lived with dogs all of my life, I was born to parents who were dog owners. Pets played an instrument role in my childhood and upbringing, since the day I was born until the day I die, I will play with, care for, and live alongside dogs. Dogs to me are not simply pets though, they are family members to love and protect. I cannot image a world in which dogs would not exist, if dogs were to go extinct an amazing light and beautiful harmony between man and beast would be extinguished from the world. If I could I would save all dog breeds from this terrible virus, but forced to save a specific breed I would choose the French briard.

The French briard is a truly amazing animal, they have served humanity nobly for hundreds of years. Kings and emperors alike have called on their service many times due to their protective and fiercely loyal nature. Charlemagne King of the Frankish Empire and Holy Roman Emperor owned briards, valuing their companionship over all other breeds. Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France also owned briards, utilizing them as watch dogs and sentries as they were very alert dogs who could bark loudly if danger was close or if individuals that posed a threat were nearby (American Kennel Club).

Leaders and rulers alike have taken briards for pets by valuing the same characteristics that people have seen in briards for centuries. Originally breed for herding and protecting sheep in rural France the briard’s temperament, dedication, and loyalty to their owners makes them useful for a wide range of tasks and makes them ideal pets. In both world wars they served their human owners and were used in support roles so often that their breed almost went extinct from being over extended as guards and search and rescue dogs. Even today briards are used by military and police forces due to their many positive qualities. If any dog breed were to be saved from this virus, that breed should be one who has served humanity faithfully and deserves survival for its past, present, and future importance.

With a new retrovirus devastating the current dog population it is important to save a breed that will carry on the legacy of dogs honorably in the future. I have lived with dogs all of my life, I was born to parents who were dog owners. Pets played an instrument role in my childhood and upbringing, since the day I was born until the day I die, I will play with, care for, and live alongside dogs. Dogs to me are not simply pets though, they are family members to love and protect. I cannot image a world in which dogs would not exist, if dogs were to go extinct an amazing light and beautiful harmony between man and beast would be extinguished from the world. If I could I would save all dog breeds from this terrible virus, but forced to save a specific breed I would choose the French briard.

The French briard is a truly amazing animal, they have served humanity nobly for hundreds of years. Kings and emperors alike have called on their service many times due to their protective and fiercely loyal nature. Charlemagne King of the Frankish Empire and Holy Roman Emperor owned briards, valuing their companionship over all other breeds. Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France also owned briards, utilizing them as watch dogs and sentries as they were very alert dogs who could bark loudly if danger was close or if individuals that posed a threat were nearby (American Kennel Club).

With a new retrovirus devastating the current dog population it is important to save a breed that will carry on the legacy of dogs honorably in the future. I have lived with dogs all of my life, I was born to parents who were dog owners. Pets played an instrument role in my childhood and upbringing, since the day I was born until the day I die, I will play with, care for, and live alongside dogs. Dogs to me are not simply pets though, they are family members to love and protect. I cannot image a world in which dogs would not exist, if dogs were to go extinct an amazing light and beautiful harmony between man and beast would be extinguished from the world. If I could I would save all dog breeds from this terrible virus, but forced to save a specific breed I would choose the French briard.

A survivorship curve is a graphical representation of data that is compiled from the life table of a specific population of organisms. There are three different types of survivorship curves. A type 1 survivorship curve describes a species in which newborns and juvenilves will have a high survival rate.Death rates for this curve do not be to increase significantly until old age has been reached. Examples of type 1 survivorship can be seen in the dall mountain sheep. A type 2 surviorship curve deals with a species in which individuals have an approixmately constant chance of surviving from one age to the next throughout their lives. Species that have type 2 survivorship include organisms such as some birds, fish, and mud turtles. Type 3 surviorship curve details a species in which individuals die at a very high rate when they are young, however when they reach adulthood they will most likely survive later in life. This type of survivorship is the most commonly seen type of survivorship in nature and is typical of species that produce large numbers of offspring. 

In this population lambda changes slightly over time, starting at 1.41 before dropping down to 1.34 and rising again to 1.43 where this value becomes regulated. This indicates that the population growth rate drops before becoming regulated. This compares to the growth of the hypothetical population described in Figure 10.8 as 10.8.B indicates that the population growth rate drops from an initial point before rising again and then becoming regulated. While in this figure there is more fluctuation in the growth rate overall, and there exists two larger drops in growth rate before regulation, the pattern of a growth drop-off before growth regulation is still reflected in both examples. I predict the population will continue to grow steadily as the lambda also known as the growth rate remains constant. The population will continue to grow in future years with the age-specific survival rates not changing. However, such growth cannot extend on forever, at some point the population will reach its carrying capacity in which resources are limited to a point where further population cannot be sustainably maintained. Population growth around this time will drop to the point where the population is maintained steadily as resource constraints will reel in any spikes in population size and/or growth. 

In this population lambda changes slightly over time, starting at 1.41 before dropping down to 1.34 and rising again to 1.43 where this value becomes regulated. This indicates that the population growth rate drops before becoming regulated. This compares to the growth of the hypothetical population described in Figure 10.8 as 10.8.B indicates that the population growth rate drops from an initial point before rising again and then becoming regulated. While in this figure there is more fluctuation in the growth rate overall, and there exists two larger drops in growth rate before regulation, the pattern of a growth drop-off before growth regulation is still reflected in both examples. I predict the population will continue to grow steadily as the lambda also known as the growth rate remains constant. The population will continue to grow in future years with the age-specific survival rates not changing. However, such growth cannot extend on forever, at some point the population will reach its carrying capacity in which resources are limited to a point where further population cannot be sustainably maintained. 

In this population lambda changes slightly over time, starting at 1.41 before dropping down to 1.34 and rising again to 1.43 where this value becomes regulated. This indicates that the population growth rate drops before becoming regulated. This compares to the growth of the hypothetical population described in Figure 10.8 as 10.8.B indicates that the population growth rate drops from an initial point before rising again and then becoming regulated. While in this figure there is more fluctuation in the growth rate overall, and there exists two larger drops in growth rate before regulation, the pattern of a growth drop-off before growth regulation is still reflected in both examples. I predict the population will continue to grow steadily as the lambda also known as the growth rate remains constant. 

In this population lambda changes slightly over time, starting at 1.41 before dropping down to 1.34 and rising again to 1.43 where this value becomes regulated. This indicates that the population growth rate drops before becoming regulated. This compares to the growth of the hypothetical population described in Figure 10.8 as 10.8.B indicates that the population growth rate drops from an initial point before rising again and then becoming regulated. 

Ketosis is defined as a state where an individual’s body is producing ketones as a result of a deficiency in carbohydrates. In ketosis, the body starts to break down fat as its energy source, instead of carbohydrates. This is usually accompanied by a drop in blood sugar. Although this seems like a harmful idea, a new dieting trend in the past couple of years has been the ketogenic diet. This diet includes a meal plan revolving around high fat, low carb and high protein. The idea of this diet is to starve the body from carbohydrates so that it is forced to burn fats as a source of energy. Although extreme, this diet has surprisingly shown many benefits. The ketogenic diet can aid in extreme weight loss and is recommended for patients with many chronic conditions such as diabetes and poly cystic ovary syndrome. This diet was first discovered as a meal plan that helped patients with epilepsy. Extensive research has proved that the ketogenic diet reduced seizure in patients with this condition. However, there are many unpleasant side effects to the ketogenic diet, including stomach pain, fatigue, fogginess, nausea, and trouble sleeping. There is little known about the long term benefits of this diet. Many doctors have mixed feelings about this diet, and there is much more research to be done about this diet.